European Elections Vital for Green Deal

Thierry Reintke

The upcoming European elections are “crucial” to stop the far right from seizing power and dismantling the Green Deal.  That is according to the European Greens, who took part in a high profile Eurovision debate between the candidates vying to be the next president of the Commission. The live debate, from parliament’s main chamber, took…

Government Coalition Parties Expected to win in Slovakian EP Elections

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Photo by Martin Katler on Unsplash The electoral campaigns before the upcoming EP election in Slovakia have been running calmly mainly on social networks, billboards with rather vague messages listed on them and also in regions in party-organized meetings. Discussion sessions with citizens, contrary to  the original intent are often attended mostly by the already-decided electors of each…

Grids for Speed Report

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Photo by Andrey Metelev on Unsplash Europe’s distribution grids need to be urgently modernised to enable massive electrification of transport, heating and industry, integrate renewables and withstand more frequent extreme weather and cyber threats.  That is according to a major new report, published on Wednesday, by the body representing the industry. Eurelectric’s “Grids for Speed” study shows that…

Blame Game in the EU

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Photo by Craig Whitehead on Unsplash Unless the opinion polls have got it very wrong, next month’s European elections will trigger a massively disruptive ‘Blame Game’ within the EU. Hurried realignments of longstanding political alliances and frantic searches for scapegoats threaten to change the face of the European Union in the eyes of the world as well as…

My Voice, My Choice

Photo by Manny Becerra on Unsplash Leading European NGOs met in Berlin on Wednesday (22 May) calling to “put reproductive rights on the ballot paper” in the forthcoming European Parliament elections.  On the heels of the recent government commissioned report calling for abortions to be legalised within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy in Germany, activists from across Europe gathered…

The Middle Corridor Initiative – Where Europe and Asia Meet

The European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS) announces the organisation of the Conference “The Middle Corridor Initiative – Where Europe and Asia Meet”, which will be held on Monday, 27 May 2024 from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM at the European Institute for Asian Studies, rue de la Loi 26, 10th floor, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium. The Discussion will be followed…

EU Commission Presidency 2004-2009

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Photo by Guillaume Périgois on Unsplash Candidates competing for the EU commission presidency after the EU elections will go head to head in a live debate on Thursday. The Eurovision debate between the lead candidates for the Commission presidency will take place on from  3pm in Parliament’s plenary chamber in Brussels The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which is…

New App Launched For People With Vision Problems

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Photo by ThisisEngineering on Unsplash A new app to help charities and voluntary organisations protect staff and volunteers working in the community has been developed thanks to a partnership between a leading sight loss charity and PwC. Fife-based charity Seescape worked with the global consultancy firm to produce the app through the Scottish Tech Army initiative. The project…

EU Elections: UK Looks On From the Outside

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Photo by Matt Brown on Unsplash There is something fundamentally depressing about the forthcoming Euro elections, writes Lord Richard Balfe.  The first that the UK will not be involved with. Yet in a way we will be involved because the outcome will shape our relations with each other. The EU Commission has recently outlined a youth mobility programme…

Reactions to Death of Iranian President Raisi

Photo by Omid Armin on Unsplash

Photo by Omid Armin on Unsplash On Sunday 19 May 2024, Ebrahim Raisi, the president of the Iranian regime, and 8 others were killed in a helicopter crash in north-west Iran. Commenting on his death in an open letter, Firouz Mahvi a member of the Iranian opposition in Belgium said, “While the president is a functionary in Iran,…